Picts

The Picts were a confederation of Celtic peoples who inhabited eastern and northern Scotland. The Picts were known to be resolute defenders of their homeland, which lies at the far north of the Britannic Isles. The Romans tried for many years to bring them under control - the Emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius even resorted to building walls across the country in order to control the passage of, and trade between, Imperial subjects and the savage, tenacious "northmen". The general focus on defence during Hadrian's tenure led some to the notion that his wall was more than a mere trade gateway - it was intended to keep the Picts and other Caledonian peoples out. Broadly, the Picts were an enigmatic people who left no written records behind, but they were known to have fought hard and against the invaders; the name "Picti" (in Latin) was simply a general term used by the Romans for any number of northern tribes whom they considered "painted ones", in reference to the common Celtic tribal custom of tattooing and painting the body before battle. The Picts were part of the ill-fated Great Conspiracy of 367-368 AD, when barbarians raids were co-ordinated with the desertion of the Roman garrison along Hadrian's Wall, and almost succeeded in wresting power from the Empire in Britannia and northern Gaul. The Picts went on to merge with Dal Riata to found the Kingdom of Scotland during the 9th century AD.